The present invention relates to a heat deflection system for a lawn tractor. More particularly, it relates to a heat deflection system for a lawn tractor in which an enclosed engine must have cooling passages, even after the engine has been turned off.
Many lawn tractors are now manufactured with the engine enclosed within a hood or other type of engine enclosure. Heat created by the engine during operation must be evacuated from the hood to prevent overheating in the engine and its components. Such engines are either air-cooled or water-cooled to control the operating temperature of the engine. Usually, a fan is associated with either type of cooling system and draws cool air into the hood and forces it over the engine and its components in order to provide cooling.
A problem arises when the engine is turned off. When the engine is turned off, the fan no longer is functioning to keep the engine cool. Thus, heat often builds up, from the engine and its components, including the muffler, inside of the hood itself. Often such heat will cause a malfunction, such as vapor lock in the carburetor. This residual heat is referred to as soak heat. This soak heat, which arises particularly from the exhaust manifold and the muffler, becomes trapped inside the hood. When the carburetor is above the muffler, as it is in most lawn tractors, this soak heat directly affects the carburetor and may cause vapor lock. While many prior art lawn tractors have extensive ducting to control the flow of cooling air during operation of the engine, the problem of soak heat has not been generally dealt with.